Staff Reports
Washington’s foster-care agency just backed down. A federal settlement with Shane and Jennifer DeGross forces the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to stop denying full foster licenses to people simply because of their religious beliefs about marriage, gender, or sexual relationships. The agency will also pay $250,000 in attorneys’ fees. That’s a clear win for religious freedom and for common sense in foster care.
The court deal: what it actually does
The settlement is a joint final judgment and permanent injunction signed by the federal court. Under the agreement, DCYF cannot deny a foster license or add special conditions just because an applicant holds sincere religious beliefs. The agreement also says foster parents will not be forced, as a condition of licensure, to use words that conflict with their faith. U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo signed the order after a prior court ruling left the DeGrosses’ First Amendment claims alive. Alliance Defending Freedom handled the case for the DeGross family.
Why this fight was needed
The DeGrosses had cared for foster children for years. Then the state applied a rule that required foster parents to use a child’s chosen pronouns. Because the DeGrosses said that would violate their faith, they were given a limited license. So a family that wanted to help children was sidelined by a rule about words. They sued, arguing the state was trampling their free speech and free exercise rights. The court agreed those claims deserved to be heard — and the settlement fixed the rule that was causing the harm.
What this means for kids, families, and the culture wars
This case is about more than pronouns. It’s about whether the state can force people of faith to either bow to government demands or step out of the foster system. ADF and religious-liberty advocates rightly call it a victory that will open doors for faith-based foster families. Critics worry about the impact on LGBTQ youth; DCYF says it still decides placements to protect children’s needs. Both points matter, but the real harm was excluding willing homes because of a bureaucratic test on beliefs. And yes, taxpayers paid $250,000 to settle the mess — another reminder that bad policy has a price.
Wrap-up: a win for conscience and common sense
This settlement returns the focus where it should be: finding safe, loving homes for children, not policing the private beliefs of foster parents. Washington’s agency kept the power to match kids with the right home, but it can no longer use a licensing rule as a sieve to screen out people of faith. If state officials want fewer court fights and fewer costs for taxpayers, they should stop turning social services into ideological litmus tests and get back to helping kids. That would be a real victory for everyone involved.
